It was a cloudy day for a tournament, and the forecasts said that it would be raining nonstop all day. A drizzle had started by the time Red and Green arrived at the open-roofed stadium.

"Green, you may want to change your strategy. The rain will make the water-type Pokemon stronger," Red suggested.

"Yeah, but there's no way Arcanine will sit out these battles. I trained with him all day yesterday," the brunette stated, "There's no way a little mist will get to my Arcanine."

"Green, don't be stupid. It's going to be pouring all day. Even the most energetic fire-type Pokemon won't be quite as strong as they could be."

"Okay, I'll be careful," the Viridian gym leader assured Red.

"I'll be cheering for you," said the ebony-haired teen, smiling sincerely.

"With pom-poms?" Green asked innocently.

"I already told you that's not going to happen. I am not a cheerleader, so you're going to have to give it up, Green. Just because you want me to be a girly cheerleader doesn't make me one."

"Whatever you say, Red. Meet you here after I win," the emerald-eyed male smirked as he sauntered off to get ready.

The champion rolled his eyes and went to find a seat that sheltered him somewhat from the now pouring rain. Green really was going to get drenched. He was slightly surprised that they hadn't postponed the tournament, but Red guessed that whoever held these competitions thought this would make for a nice twist in today's battles.

As the first round played out, the ruby-eyed teen watched intently as many trainers won and lost. Some had a long way to go, while others were pretty good. The rain ended up being a real factor against all of the fire-type Pokemon. Even though this was true, watching wasn't as boring as he'd thought it would be. Yet Red felt his pulse quicken at the sight of Green. The gym leader sent out his Arcanine. The champion was somewhat embarrassed to admit that Green was right to use Arcanine. It threw off the other trainer, and yet Arcanine was still as quick as a bullet, even through the deluge. The battle was won by the emerald-eyed male, who had returned his Arcanine, smiling to himself.

Steven had won his battle with Metagross, since it was a steel-type the rain wasn't affecting it very much. The Pokemon was definitely something to be feared. Whether it was a offense attack like Bullet Punch, or a defensive move like Reflect, every second of the battle Steven was calm, composed, and in control of the situation.

The Sinnoh champion, Cynthia, had made an appearance as well. Her Garchomp was just as strong as Cynthia's will. It's Dragon Claw was so powerful, that it caused the opponents Azumarill to faint with one hit.

There was one certain red-head who had stood out to the champion. His Feraligatr had been up against a Sceptile, and yet it claimed victory without much of a fight. After a Swords Dance, a skillful move by the trainer greatly raising his Pokemon's attack, it quickly threw out a frosty Ice Punch. This move was followed up by a blasting Hydro Cannon, completely blowing away the other trainer.

The semifinals had proceeded to be even more nerve-racking than the first round. Cynthia and Steven went head-to-head, Metagross against Garchomp. Metagross automatically used Magnet Rise, barely dodging the most ground-shaking earthquake Red had ever witnessed. Steven countered with Psychic, slamming Garchomp into the rocky ground. Garchomp pushed itself back up, and then hit Metagross with a Brick Break, which knocked the Pokemon across the arena. The battle ended with Metagross's Bullet Punch, while just barely evading a well-aimed Dragon Claw.

Cynthia had shook hands with Steven, exchanged some words, and continued to sit and watch closely as the last battle of the semifinals started.

Green entered the arena, strutting up to take his end of the battlefield, waving to the crowd.

That's when the red-head appeared, taking claim to his side of the arena. They both sent out their Pokemon, it was Arcanine against Feraligatr.

'Great,' the champion thought, 'Green's already at a disadvantage, and the rain probably isn't helping Arcanine's spirits, how will he pull through?'

The Viridian gym leader started off the match with a Thunder Fang, getting Feraligatr in the neck, and electrocuting the rain around them both. Feraligatr shook off Arcanine, opened its toothy mouth, and used Hydro Cannon, which directly hit Arcanine, sending it across the battlefield. Arcanine struggled to get up, and it already looked worn out. The fire-type Pokemon hadn't given up yet, however, now whipping Feraligatr with a ferocious Iron Tail, knocking it to the ground. Just as the water-type was gaining its feet, Green took the chance to have Arcanine use ExtremeSpeed, causing Feraligatr to hurtle into the wall and fall to the ground with a thud. Silver looked worried, and when the smoke had risen, he saw that his Pokemon had fainted. The trainer returned his Feraligatr, nodded at Green, and had taken a seat beside Cynthia, where he was greeted by the same teen Red had seen trying to register the day before.

The final round had began with Steven sending out his Metagross, and Green his Arcanine. The former Hoenn champion had quickly had his Metagross throw in a Bullet Punch, slightly dazing the experienced Arcanine. The fire-type canine had swiftly came back with its move that the brunette had worked on for ages, Flare Blitz. Coating itself in flames, the Pokemon charged at Metagross, and sparks shot across the arena like fireworks, lighting up the battlefield. Arcanine slammed into the opponent with all its might, and the arena had soon been covered in fog. Through the dense mist, you could see Arcanine get enveloped in a pink hue, only to be knocked into the wall. Shaken, Arcanine regained its footing, exchanged a glance with his trainer, and sped up to Steven's Pokemon, crashing into it with ExtremeSpeed. The fog had lifted, showing Metagross on the ground, fainted. The crowd cheered, but Red knew that if he had entered the tournament, then he would have been able to have beat Green to the prize. The ruby-eyed teen got up from his seat and left the arena before the mob of fans would run him over. He proceeded to go to the place where they'd decided to meet after the tournament.

That's when Red saw him. Fear shot through the champion as he realised who it was. The man with tattoos engraved on his neck, Giovanni's second-in-command, who the champion could have sworn he'd taken care of at Team Rocket Headquarters. The ebony-haired male had thought that he had shut them down for good. A feeling of paranoia started to grow in the pit of Red's stomach. What was that bulge in his coat pocket? The champion wasn't going to stick around to find out, especially after their eyes met. Recognition and then anger flashing through the other's eyes, while Red in turn pulled down his hat, flashed one single glance backwards, and sprinted down the road, as fast as his legs could carry him. Red heard the gun go off behind him.


A/N: Hey guys! I know I didn't post last week…. I am forever guilty! It's really hard to keep up with this and homework, not to mention homecoming was last week. I hope you like this week's chapter, I posted it early too ;) Hope you like the cliffhanger :P I'm so evil! Hopefully the battles satisfied your tastes, I guess I could have stretched them out to be a little bit longer, but I'm trying :)